1. “Should Work” &
“Depends”
Brett Cooper
netcooper@yahoo.com
October 30, 2010

2. Why do you hear
“Depends” and
“Should Work”?
October 30, 2010

3. What are
“Depends”?
October 30, 2010

5. Why do you hear “Depends” or
“Should Work”
• Engineers believe it will work – so do you
– Haven’t tested it
• Rick avoidance – work avoidance
• Wasn’t in the plan
• Revenue – moved product shipment up
• Made commitment to get revenue now
– Deliver feature/requirement later
Flip this around – what does your
client want to hear?

6. What do your clients want to
hear?
• The product (or service) is proven in their
industry
• Built to meet their needs – we listened
• The product will last for years
How many times is your
product really there?

7. Why do you hear “Depends” or
“Should Work”
• You, as the Product Manager, didn’t provide
the right requirements?
– Use cases – scenarios
– Market changed
– Client requirements changed
– You missed the window
– Other reasons?
Listen versus talking

8. How do you fix this?

9. How do you fix this?

10. How can I fix this?
Admit that you have an issue to solve
• Partner with Engineering
– Become the
“Library of Knowledge” –
“Trusted Advisor”
– Start early and build trust
• Use Innovation Games
– Product Box
– Pruning the Tree
• Use Customer Councils
– Have Engineering Present

11. How can I fix this?

12. How can I fix this?

13. Thank you to our sponsors:

14. Thank you!
October 30, 2010